Benedict XVI appealed for cooperation among believers of the three main monotheist religions, when he met with members of the American Jewish Committee.

Benedict XVI appealed for cooperation among believers of the three main monotheist religions, when he met with members of the American Jewish Committee.

“Judaism, Christianity and Islam believe in the one God, Creator of heaven and earth,” the Pope told his guests at an audience in the Vatican today.

“It follows, therefore, that all three monotheistic religions are called to cooperate with one another for the common good of humanity, serving the cause of justice and peace in the world,” he added in his address delivered in English.

“This is especially important today when particular attention must be given to teaching respect for God, for religions and their symbols, and for holy sites and places of worship,” the Holy Father said.

“Religious leaders have a responsibility to work for reconciliation through genuine dialogue and acts of human solidarity,” he added.

In his intervention, Benedict XVI recalled the recent celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s declaration “Nostra Aetate,” a document that marked a positive turn in relations between Jews and Catholics.

Common patrimony

This celebration, the Pontiff said, “has increased our shared desire to know each other better and to develop a dialogue characterized by mutual respect and love.”

“Indeed, Jews and Christians have a rich common patrimony,” he added. “In many ways this distinguishes our relationship as unique among the religions of the world. The Church can never forget that Chosen People with whom God entered into a holy covenant.”

Benedict XVI concluded by hoping that the visit of the Jewish representatives to Rome “may confirm you in your endeavors to build bridges of understanding across all barriers.”

The American Jewish Committee was a great promoter of relations between Jews and Catholics during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II and have been as well at the start of Benedict XVI’s pontificate. Its representatives often visited John Paul II in Rome.

Last Aug. 19, representatives of the group expressed satisfaction with Benedict XVI’s visit that day to a synagogue in Germany that had been destroyed by the Nazis in 1938.

Among the American Jewish Committee’s aims, according to its Web site, is “to strengthen the basic principles of pluralism around the world, as the best defense against anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry.”